EOSM is upon us soon.

Only if you're making the assumption that office=formal.

Anyway, what you're talking about here is really a communication
style, and yes, it's reasonable to expect that office communications
are performed on a different basis than a pub chat. But that's not the
same as expecting people to adopt a different persona in the office.

We all behave differently in different situations without necessarily
assuming false identities for each one - a good office should be able
to cope with all types of people, provided each is able to adapt, and
react, to the styles of others around them.

--
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`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

well, office=more formal than pub, anyway.

a "persona" is exactly what people adopt in formal situations - that's
what the word means.

"all types of people" - I think that goes a bit far. For a start,
there's no way I could tolerate an "I'm mad me!" style "office joker"
in my team.

 

OK, there are limits, but I'm trying to make the point that moderating
one's communications styles as appropriate to the consditions and
situations one finds oneself in is not the same, IMO, as the "changing
identity" referred to earlier. I can choose to talk, write and behave
in a more or less formal way without changing who I am.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

I originally said "I'm really quite a different person at work than
you'd think from reading the shit I post to Usenet" and I still think
this is the case.

I mean, I post crap about music, movies, drinking, women, bikes etc.
on here - I don't tend to talk about any of those subjects on a
regular basis at work, which is all I was getting at.

 

Right.

Whereas I, and possibly Verdi from his comment, don't feel the need to
'pretend' like that. To use your example, I certainly talk about
bikes, music and drinking at work, as well some of the sorts of
esoteric nonsense we get on here. I don't generally talk about women
and movies much outside of work either.

Oh, and I'm now a manager too, which still doesn't make me feel that I
need to come across as someone different.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

I'm not "pretending" anything. That's my point.

 

*I'm* a manager.

 

YWHID.

 

well, so they tell me.

 

<>:

I'm rather thick; do you have a working email address.

 

I don't think it's a question of formal and informal; or at least, not
IME. I don't think I am particularly formal (often) at work but I'm
also definitely not myself.

 

Oh, I used to feel that way. Then I thought that I could compromise
myself for my own materialistic gain and it became easier... for a
while.

I don't think that they're necessarily very clever. The thing that
really sticks in my craw is when you hear senior people spouting stuff
you know they don't believe. Fair enough... then you think that they
expect you to believe it; how stupid do they think others are?

Then (and here's the catch) one day you find yourself saying probably
the self-same thing to your own team members and it's as if you're
having a sudden out-of-body experience as you see and hear yourself,
realising that you look exactly the same as the senior people you
previously questioned.

 

That's as may be, but I don't put one that's usable in my headers.

The old lady dot nina at ntlworld dot com will get to me.

 

...but I always thought you were clever.

 

But what did it actually profit you? (hmmm dangerously biblical there)

I've never really been bothered about material things, as long as I've
enough money to keep the roof over our heads and pay the bills I'm
happy (for certain values of). I don't really do 'things', it's only
books that I buy for myself and I tend to use the library or charity
shops for them.

Do they expect belief or just the outward manifestation of belief
though? It's one thing to toe the company line, another to let it
alter your self.

Not a good experience I would imagine. One of those 'where do I go
from here' moments. Best of luck with it.

 

Not at all, I've worked for enough of them.

But someone might not get their plastic soulless crap.

If you're not doing it for the money then there has to be some
motivation.

I'm not sure they have to subsume themselves as much as in the
corporate world, but I could be wrong. I'm trying to think of an
example, a meat eater working for a vegan food company?

In the corporate world it doesn't tend to impact directly on people's
lives if the work goes wrong, unless as you say they lose their jobs
and then it is only them and their family affected.

 

Where? .... you old tart.

 

Where? .... you old tart.[/QUOTE]

Heh - bidding adieu to a friend/colleague who is off to a new life,
with much beers and half-cooked foodstuffs.

 

Well, not at all of course. It's a trap, a very effective one and one
I'll (probably) never completely escape. However there's the old
protestant thing sat behind it as well.

Well, 'things' don't do much for me but it doesn't stop me thinking that
they will. Experience isn't always a good teacher.

I don't think it makes any difference whether you believe or appear to.
Pretending to is enough.

Actually more along the lines of "oh well, there goes my self respect".
But, it was a while ago now and I'm convincing myself it's not an issue.

 

The first time I found myself saying "going forward". Or "across the
piece".